The present invention relates to a wireless, voice-activated remote control device and, more particularly, the control of an electronic device having voice control circuitry via a wireless communication link by voice and data signals from a remote control device.
The control of electronic devices has traditionally required the manual operation of dials, buttons, keyboards, keypads and the like. This can be an impractical, awkward or undesirable requirement for several reasons. For example, a person who is working, driving, or performing some other task requiring the use of his hands, may simultaneously attempt to use a communication device to call another person. This can be difficult at best, and dangerous at worst.
Additionally, as technology progresses, manufacturers of electronic devices are continually reducing the size of the devices, and thus also reducing the size of the keyboards, keypads or other mechanical interfaces. This reduction in size makes it difficult for users to easily input accurate information.
Even when a full size interface is available and no other activity is being performed, a manually operated interface can be problematic. For example, computer users are frequently required to perform repetitive hand motions that can lead to serious physical injury over time.
Voice recognition technology has been developed for use in electronic devices in response to these problems. In general, conventional voice recognition technology comprises a mechanism for receiving an input voice signal, comparing the input voice signal with stored voice signals, and determining if the input voice signal is sufficiently similar to any of the stored voice signals. If the determining step reveals a match, instructions or other data associated with the similar stored voice signal, such as a telephone number or device command, is generated by the device. However, conventional voice recognition technology has required that a user be sufficiently proximate to the electronic device to ensure that the voice signal is adequately received. In addition, conventional voice recognition technology requires that the user depress a button on the electronic device to activate the technology.
User headsets or other remote control devices have also been developed to permit a user to have his hands free to perform other tasks while communicating with an electronic device. Such headsets do permit the user to have some distance away from the device. However, such devices are tethered to the device via a wire or a wireless radio link requiring the user to sustain relatively close proximity to the device. In application, such headsets typically must be used within one meter or so of the electronic device.
Those conventional headsets and other remote control devices provide marginal improvement at best because situations often arise in which a user desires to utilize an electronic device when the user is not sufficiently close to the device and/or the user is not able to utilize the small mechanical interface. For example, with respect to a communication device such as a telephone, a person may desire to receive an incoming call when the telephone starts ringing even though the telephone is some distance away. Alternatively, a person may desire to place a call on a small device, such as a cellular telephone, without having to input information using the small keypad associated with the device.
Thus, there exists a need for a wireless voice-activated remote control device that enables a user to activate an electronic device using voice control technology without having to maintain a small distance between the remote control device and the electronic device. There is no current technology that integrates voice recognition technology and a wireless remote control device to control an electronic device at a relatively large distance.
Accordingly, the present invention overcomes these and other problems associated with current technology by providing a wireless, voice-activated remote control system for controlling an electronic device. The system comprises an electronic device, a remote control device, and a wireless communication link. The electronic device comprises a microphone, a speaker, an antenna, wireless link circuitry, and voice control circuitry. The remote control device comprises a microphone, a speaker, an antenna, wireless link circuitry, and a user input device. The wireless communication link exists between the electronic device and the remote control device to facilitate the transmission of data signals and voice signals. At least one voice signal is input into the microphone of the remote control device. The voice signal is transmitted from the remote control device to the electronic device via the wireless communication link. Upon receipt of the voice signal at the electronic device, the voice control circuitry generates an instruction responsive to the voice signal and the instruction is executed in the electronic device.
In an alternative embodiment, the present invention provides a method of controlling an electronic device with a remote control device. The method comprises establishing a wireless communication link between the electronic device and the remote control device over which data signals and voice signals may be transmitted. The method further comprises receiving a voice signal at the remote control device and transmitting the voice signal from the remote control device to the electronic device via the wireless communication link. The method still further comprises receiving the voice signal at the electronic device, generating an instruction responsive to the voice signal in the electronic device, and executing the instruction in the electronic device.